Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his sharp criticism of some European countries for refusing to hold mass rallies on their soil in preparation for the early presidential and parliamentary elections, which will be held on June 24.
The new rhetoric is reminiscent to the tension between Turkey and the European Union during the referendum he held to amend the constitution last year. Several EU countries back then prevented Turkish ministers and officials from rallying to garner support for the amendments in the April 16, 2017 referendum.
Erdogan criticized German authorities on Saturday for allowing a Turkish opposition party to hold a rally officials said was organized by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish government, despite an earlier ban on foreign parties’ election campaigns there.
Germany, the country with the largest Turkish population in Europe, announced it would ban gatherings of foreign politicians and their supporters within its borders in advance of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary polls.
“European administrations that allow the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to hold rallies block the Justice and Development party,” Erdogan told his supporters during a rally for his ruling party (AKP), organized in the city of Erzurum.
Speaking to his party's rally in Balikesir (northwestern Turkey), Erdogan said the so-called "enemies of Turkey" are "terrified because of Turkey's continued growth and achievements."
He accused some parties of trying to restrict and weaken Turkey through economic measures, but such attempts will not be able to stand in its way.
Erdogan attributed Turkey's growth to "the existence of leaders who know very well how to run the country," pointing out that his party has this potential.
He said that the upcoming elections are the most important in the history of Turkey, explaining that “we will either maintain what has been achieved in 16 years or go back to old Turkey, which was indebted to the International Monetary Fund.”
